Broom or article of analogous nature



Feb; 9, 1937. A. L. LODGE 2,070,169

BROOM OR ARTICLE OF ANALOGOUS NATURE Filed July 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l 5351 `51 5o i l/ 5f 38 I *d 4i l I 1 Z6 I u 46 i )NI i wh 1 Zi [z5 ,7 a if 215 /izi Il iz "iii nl 1% i l 155;? 'I 2239/2423 ai *-Z'O il 1 myV my( F8119, 11937.A A, L LODGE 2,070,169

BROOM OR ARTICLE OF ANALOGOUS NATURE Filed July 29, 1935 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Feb. 9b, 1.937

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BROOM OR ARTKCLE F ANALOGOUS NATURE Application July 29, i935, Serial No. 33,737

12 Claims.

The present invention relates to brooms and articles of analogous nature. More particularly, the present invention relates to such articles provided with a handle detachable from the sweeping or brushing portion thereof.

As now on the market, household brooms are what may be called one-piece articles, meaning by that that the broom head is xed permanently on the handle, and the two parts are bought, sold, and used as a unit. While so far as use is concerned this unitary construction is convenient, there are advantages in having a broom which is unitary in use but which can upon occasion be disassembled into a sweeping unit and a handle. One advantage lies in manufacture, inasmuch as the labor of uniting the handle with the broom corn and of forming the shoulders at the top of the broom head is eliminated. Another advantage lies in shipping the disassembled parts from the factory and in storing them in places where they are sold. Bundles of ordinary brooms, because of their length and irregular shape, are bulky and occupy a space out of proportion to their actual size both for the shipper and for the retail merchant. Broom head units and handles detached therefrom are more conveniently stored. A further advantage lies in the fact that when a broom head unit wears out, it is more economical to purchase and more convenient to carry merely a replaceable broom head unit than it is a complete broom.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide what may be called a two-piece broom, meaning by that a broom comprising a broom head unit provided with a readily removable handle.

,t isa further object of the present invention to provide a broom head unit which is strong in construction so that the broom corn or sweeping elements of some other material will not pull or fall out, which is cheap to manufacture, and which may be readily removed from a handle so that a new broom head unit may be substituted therefor and held securely in place.

In the present manufacture of ordinary brooms, the ends of a quantity of broom corn are bound with wire around an end portion of the handle, whereupon the corn is bent from its point of attachment to the handle and flattened to form the curved shoulders at the top of the broom head. Below the shoulders the corn is stitched so that the broom head will retain its shape. The shoulders of ordinary broom heads constitute points of weakness, in that the portions of the corn composing them are distorted, are always under strain, and always tend to pull away. In use it not infrequently happens that these shoulders break, rendering the broom useless before the sweeping portion is worn out.

It is therefore a further object of the present invention to provide a broom in which this shoulder weakness is eliminated.

To the accomplishment of these objects and such others as may hereinafter appear, the various features of the present invention reside in certain combinations, devices, and arrangements of parts fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the appended claims, possessing advantages which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

The various features of the present invention will be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings illustrating the best form of the invention at present known to the inventor, in which,

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a broom made according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a disassembled view in front elevation of the broom shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the base mem- 25 ber of the clamp;

Fig. 4, is disassembled relation to Fig. 3, is a view in perspective of the binding member of the clamp;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 30 5 5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a detail view in sectional elevation of the handle, the cover, and the clamp for securing the broom head unit to the handle; and

Fig. '7 is a sectional View taken along the line 35 'I- of Fig. 5.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the illustrated embodiment of the present invention is provided with a clamp comprising metallic telescoping members I0 and l l, respectively, best 4 shown in Figs. 3 and 4, which function to bind end portions of a quantity of sweeping elements l2 such as broom corn together into a broom head unit. For convenience in disclosure, the member I0 will be called hereinafter a base mem- 45 ber and the element l! a binding member.

Referring to Fig. 3, the base member l!) comprises a side wall 13, parallel bent ends I4 from which lugs i5 extend so as to form shoulders I6, and lugs il bent into parallelism with the ends i4 and the lugs I5. The lugs il are preferably as long as the combined lengths of the bent ends i4 `and the end lugs l5. The base member Ill is formed from a single blank, the lugs il being struck from the wall I3 and then bent away 55 from the ends Iii so as to leave wall openings I8. The wall I3 is also provided with a central opening i9.

Referring to Fig. 4, the binding member Il comprises a side wall 2i? having the same width as the wall i3 and provided with parallel bent ends 2l. The binding member li is adapted to telescope over the base member lil, and to this end, the binding member is provided with end slots 22 for receiving the end lugs i5 of the base member and with slots 23, wider than the slots 22, for receiving the lugs Il. The wall 2l] is also provided with a central opening 213. When the base and binding members are telescoped together completely, the shoulders I6 engage the wall 2@ of the binding member and so limit the approach of the base and binding members toward each other, and the central openings i9 and 24 are aligned.

In assembling the base and binding members together with a quantity of sweeping elements such as the broom corn I2 so as to form a broom head unit, the base member iD is placed in a suitable support and end portions of a quantity of the corn are placed in it to a level above that of the shoulders lo and in engagement with the wall I3, the bent ends lil, and the lugs I5 and il. Thereupon the binding member H is telescoped over the base member iii and is pressed with considerable force against the corn I2 so as to compress it preferably to such an extent that the wall 2t of the binding member II engages the shoulders It. As a result, the individual pieces oi corn are compressed together in successive juxtaposition from the wall 2G through to the wall I3.

While the base and binding members are held telescoped under pressure, the end lugs l5 which extend through the slots 22 are bent into engagement with the binding member wall 2li, as shown in Fig. 5, and the lugs il which project through the slots 23 are bent towards the lugs I5 and into engagement with the wall 2b. The bent ends of the lugs thus serve to hold the base and binding members together in corn-clamping position after the pressing force has been removed, the end lugs I5 holding the members in corn-clamping position at their end portions and the lugs Il holding the members in corn-clamping position at points spaced from their end portions and so preventing bulging of the members.

In order to lock the bent lugs in pressing position, the end portions of the wall 2i) are provided with outwardly struck ears 25 (Fig. 4) arranged in oppositely disposed pairs and adapted to be bent over into engagement with the lugs I5 and I'I, as shown in Figs. 2, 5 and '7.

When the corn i2 is placed in the base member l@ as above described, the end portions of the corn may be aligned with an edge of the Wall I3. It is preferred, however, that these end portions project slightly beyond the edge, whereupon the corn is trimmed to the level of the edges of the walls I3 and 2Q, as shown in Fig. 7, after the base and binding members have been secured together.

The structure so far described is shown clearly in Fig. 5. For reasons which will be given hereinaiter, the space between the bases of the lugs Il is such that before the lugs are bent they engage the inner walls of the slots 23. As will be seen in Fig. 5, after the lugs Il are bent into engagement with the binding member Il, the lugs are spaced from the inner walls of the slots 23 and engage the outer walls thereof. This causes the portion of lugs Il which lie between the base and binding members to slant outward to a slight degree, the amount of slant being exaggerated in the drawings and in reality being of no greater extent than the thickness of the material, as Will be explained.

The structure so far described comprises a broom head or sweeping unit made up of the telescoped base and binding members I0 and Il which are held in a condition to clamp the broom corn i2 securely together. The corn extends downwardly beneath the telescoped members to present the appearance, except at the top, of an ordinary broom head. Beneath the telescoped members the corn is provided with the usual stitching 26.

In making a broom head unit such as above described, it would be practical to a certain extent to leave the side walls I3 and 2l! as they have been so far described. Enough pressure could be applied in forming the unit so that under ordinary usage the corn would not easily pull out. But the disadvantage of such a construction lies in the fact that the individual lengths of corn would all be substantially parallel and would be held together by smooth surfaces which would by no means give the frictional grip that roughened surfaces would give. While there would be a tendency for the corn exposed by the openings I8 to bulge out slightly into the openings, this bulging would occur in so small a quantity of the corn as to be of no great benet in helping to maintain the entire body of the corn in place. Accordingly, the present invention contemplates the provision of auxiliary corn-compressing means so that certain local areas of the clamped corn are distorted and subjected to greater clamping pressure than others.

Referring to Fig. 3, the side wall I3 is provided adjacent its top and bottom edges with inwardly directed ridges 2l extending substantially the length of the wall. The portion of the wall between the lugs I'I is provided with a pair of ridges 28 one on each side of the central opening I9. Referring to Fig. 4, the wall 2B is provided with inwardly directed ridges 29 and 30 corresponding to the ridges 2l and 23, respectively, and between the oppositely disposed ears 25 the end portions of the wall 2S are each provided with an inwardly directed ridge 3 i. All these ridges extend lengthwise of their respective walls and therefore crosswise of the clamped corn. With this construction the ridges compress the corn to a greater extent than do the flat portions of the walls I3 and 20. Stated in another way, the ridges 21, 28, 29, Si), and 3| subject local areas of the corn to an increased pressure over the pressure to which the at portions of the walls I3 and 20 subject it. The compressing effect of the ridges 2l, 29 and 3l is indicated in Fig. '7, from which it will be seen that the portions of the corn adjacent the walls I3 and 20, instead of being straight, are bent inwardly at a plurality of places. The increased localized pressure applied by the ridges 28 and 3G is applied in a manner identical with that of the ridges 2l, 29, and 3|. Since the ridges are formed on the walls I3 and 20, it will be seen that the increased localized pressure resulting from the ridges comes from the exterior oi the clamped corn, and serves to clamp the corn more securely in place.

In addition to subjecting portions of the clamped corn to an increased localized pressure from without, the present invention contemplates the provision for such pressure from within. To achieve this the bent ends 2l of the binding member II are each provided with an opening 32 (Figs. 4 and 5) and the bent ends I 4 of the base member I are each provided with a preferably elongated opening 33 adapted to register with an opening 32 when the two members are telescoped together. The lugs I1 are also each provided with an opening 34 larger than the openings 32 and in registry 'With the elongated openings 33. After the base and binding members are clamped in position about the corn I2, and the lugs I5 and I1 and the ears are bent down as described above, headed pins (Fig. 5) are driven one at each end through the registering openings 32 and 33, then crosswise through the corn I2, then through the enlarged openings 34 in the lugs I1, and finally into the corn between the lugs I1, each pin terminating short of an opening 36 drilled in the corn in registry with the aligned openings I5 and 24. By making the openings 34 larger than the openings 32, the pins 35 will pass into the openings 34 notwithstanding slight deviations from the intended path of the pins as they are driven. The heads of the 'pins 35 serve to hold the bent ends I4 and 2I together.

Viewing Figs. 5 and 7, it will be seen that the pins 35 perform the same corn bending function as is performed by the ridges 21, 28, 29, 30, and 3I, but that in the case of the pins, the pressure is exerted from within outwardly. Stated in another way, the pins 35 provide an increased localized pressure against portions of the clamped corn, this pressure being exerted from within the -corn outwardly in the direction of the base memn 'ber lII) and the binding member I I, including the openings I8 in the former.

The broom head unit above described is intended to be detachably secured to an ordinary broom handle. To this end the lower end of a handle 31 is provided with a two-piece clamp comprising curved portions 38 and 39 (Figs. 2 and 6) adapted to embrace the end of the handle 31 and be held there by a male and female screw unit 40. The opposite ends of the screw unit 4!) extend slightly outside the curved portions 38 and 39 for a purpose presently to be described.

'The lower ends of the curved portions 38 and 39 broaden out into square jaws 4I and 42, respectively, (Figs. 2 and 6). The sides and bottom of each jaw are curved. inwardly to form lrounded strengthening lips 43 and 44. Each jaw is adapted to t over the central portion of the broom head unit, with the edges of the lips 43 and 44 engaged with the walls I3 and 20 of the base and binding members, respectively.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, it will be seen that each side of the curved lip 43 of the jaw 4I is provided with a lug 45 and that each side of the curved lip 44 of the jaw 42 is provided with a lug l45. These lugs have a length substantially equal to the width of the openings I8 in the base member I0. It was pointed out above that the slots 23 of the bind-ing member II were wider than the slots 22 thereof, and that when the lugs I1 are bent into engagement with the wall 20 the lugs are spaced from the inner walls of the slots 23 as shown in Fig. 5. Specifically, the slots 23 are just wide enough to receive both the lugs I1 and the lugs 45 of the jaw 4I. With this construction, the edges of the jaw lips 43 engage the wall 20 of the binding member I I and the jaw lugs 45 engage the inner walls of the slots 23 and the lugs I1, extending a short way into the corn I2, as shown in `Fig. 5. Asa consequence, when the jaw 4I is 'secured to the broom head unit, as will be described, the jaw, and therefore the attached handle end, cannot shift angularly of the broom head in the direction of the length of the telescoped members I5 and I I.

The lugs 4G on the jaw 42 perform the same function as the lug 45, and extend slightly into the straw through the openings I8 with the edges of the jaw lips 44 engaged with the wall of the base member I0. Since it is desirable, as a commercial matter, that the jaws 4I and 42 be stamped from the same die, it is necessary to bend the lugs 45 of the jaw 42 slightly outwardly, as shown in Fig. 5. In this manner the lugs 46 hug the lugs I 1 tightly at their base and since the lugs 45 extend into the openings I8, they function to prevent movement of the jaw 42 angularly of the broom head in the direction of the length of the telescoped members lil and II.

The jaws 4l and 42 are provided with oppositely disposed openings 41 and 48 which, when the jaws are positioned properly on the broom head unit, are adapted to register with the passage comprising the opening 24 in the binding member I I, the opening i3 in the base member i8, and the opening 35 formed in the corn I2. The jaws and the broom head unit are detachably connected together by preferably a male and female screw unit 49 (Fig. 1) which extends through the above named passage. When the screw units 4l! and 49 are both tightened, the lugs 45 and. 46 are forced into the slots 23 and around the bases of the lugs I1, respectively, until the edge of the curved lips 43 and 44 engage the binding and base members, respectively, thereby distributing the gripping pressure of the jaws 4l and 42 over a larger area than would be the case were the jaws entirely flat and providing for a rigid junction between the handle 31 and the broom head unit.

In order to conceal the clamped end portion of the corn I?. and the handle attaching means and to protect furniture and other objects which the metallic parts might strike when the broom is used, the present invention contemplates the provision of a cover 58 of molded rubber, composition, papier-mch, or any other suitable material, rubber being preferred because of its resiliency. As indicated in Figs. l, 2 and 6, the cover 55 comprises a neck portion 5l' and a body portion 53 adapted t0 fit snugly over the upper end of the clamped corn andv extend down to a point adjacent the stitches 26 and below the base member IE' and the binding member II. The neck portion 5I is adapted to embrace and conceal the curved portions 38 and 39 of the handle clamp and may be provided with oppositely disposed openings 53 into which the opposite ends of the male and female screw unit 48 extend. This construction, by reason of the resiliency of the neck 5I, provides that the openings 53 comprise in effect shoulders against which the ends of the screw unit 58 abut to hold the cover removably in place. It will be apparent, however, that other types of cover securing means may be employed, and that the cover may even be held in place by the snug fit of resilient materials.

Several advantages will be seen in the abovedescribed construction. By forming the broom head unit independently of the handle, there is y acteristic thereof is found in the illustrated embodiment ofthe present invention. From a manufacturing point of view, the materials comprising the broom head unit disclosed are cheap and may be assembled without diiliculty. When it is desired to replace a broom head unit with a new one, the cover l may be slipped up the handle 3l as shown in Fig. 2, the screw units d@ and i9 loosened, and the broo-m unit slipped out from between the jaws Il! and 32. Then a new unit may be easily secured to the handle 3'! by causing the jaws lll and ft2 to rit over the broom head unit properly, whereupon the screw units 4U and i9 are tightened to force the lugs iii and d6 into the slots 23 and around the bases of the. lugs il, respecf. tively, and to cause the jaw lips 43 and 44 to embrace the broom head unit securely. The cover 5l? is then pulled down to conceal the top of the unit, the ends of the screw unit lil entering the openings 53 in the neck of the cover to maintain it in place. The broom head unit is self-contained, in that the corn is clamped in place independently of the handle attaching means, thereby providing that units may be substituted without disturbing the clamping condition of the base and binding members.

The present invention has been described as embodied in a broom for ordinary household purposes, employing the usual broom corn. It will be apparent, however, that the present invention is broader than this, being adapted to other types of brooms and articles oi analogous nature, and that as sweeping elements other materials such as bristles or limp strands may be employed in place of broom corn. rThe structure chosen for purposes of disclosure is well suited to one form of the invention, but it is to be understood that its scope is not limited to the details of the structure shown nor to the conjoint use of all its features, for they may be variously modified within the skill of the artisan without departing from the true scope of the present invention, characterizing features or which are pointed out in the appended claims by the intentional use of generic terms and expressions inclusive of various modications.

What is claimed as new isf 1. In a broom or article of analogous nature, the combination with a quantity of sweeping elements and clamping means having ends and side walls surrounding an end portion of the elements to bind them securely together, of means extending through the clamp ends and also extending substantially throughout the length of the clamp in engagement with said bound end portions for holding the clamp ends together and for urging the bound elements from within outwardly against said side walls substantially throughout their length.

2. A head for a broom or article of analogous nature comprising, in combination, a quantity of sweeping elements, telescoping members adapted to receive end portions of the sweeping elements to clamp them together in successive juxtaposition, means for holding the members telescoped together in clamping position, and means engaged with some of said clamped end portions and extending substantially throughout the length of the clamp for urging said clamped end portions from within outwardly against said telescoped members.

3. A head for a broom or article of analogous nature comprising, in combination, a base mem.- ber holding a quantity of sweeping elements and provided with lugs, a binding member engaging the sweeping elements and provided with lugaovo, 1 69 receiving slots, the lugs extending through the slots and being bent into engagement with the binding member to hold it pressed against the sweeping elements so that they are clamped between the two members, and means carried by the binding member for locking the bent lugs in pressing position.

4. A head for a broom or article of analogous nature comprising, in combination, a base member holding a quantity of sweeping elements and provided with ends, a side wall, and lugs, a binding member engaging the sweeping elements and provided with ends, a side wall, and lug-receiving slots, the lugs extending through the slots and being bent into engagement with the side wall of the binding member to hold it pressed against the sweeping elements so that they are clamped between the two members, and means for applying increased localized pressure against the clamped elements from the exterior thereof.

5. A head for a broom or article of analogous nature comprising, in combination, a base member holding a quantity of sweeping elements and provided with ends, a side wall, and lugs, a binding member engaging the sweeping elements and provided with ends, a side wall, and lug-receiving slots, the lugs extending through the slots and being bent into engagement with the side wall of said binding member to hold it pressed against the sweeping elements so that they are clamped between the two members, means for applying increased localized pressure against the clamped elements from the exterior thereof, and means for applying increased localized pressure from within the clamped elements outwardly in the direction of the base and binding members.

6. A head for a broom or article of analogous nature comprising, in combination, a base member holding a quantity of sweeping elements and provided with bent ends and lugs, a binding member engaging the sweeping elements and provided with lug-receiving slots and with bent ends adapted to fit over the bent ends, respectively, of the base member, the lugs extending through the slots and being bent into engagement with said binding member to hold it pressed against the sweeping elements so that they are clamped between the two members, and means for securing the ends of the base and binding members together, respectively, and for urging the clamped elements outwardly against said members.

'7. A head for a broom or article of analogous nature comprising, in combination, a base member holding a quantity of sweeping elements and provided with ends, a side wall, and lugs, a binding member engaging the sweeping elements and provided with ends, a side wall, and lug-receiving slots, the lugs extending through the slots and being bent into engagement with the side wall of the binding member to hold it pressed against the elements so that they are clamped between the two members, and means for limiting the approach of the binding member towards the base member upon the reception of the lugs by the slots.

8. In a broom or article of analogous nature, the combination with a handle, a sweeping unit comprising a quantity of sweeping elements and a clamp securely binding the elements together, means for connecting the handle to the sweeping unit, and a cover for concealing the connecting means and the adjacent portion of the sweeping unit, of means carried by the cover cooperating with the connecting means for removably maintaining the cover in concealing position.

9. In a broom or article of analogous nature, the combination with a handle, a sweeping unit, means for connecting the handle to the sweeping unit, and a cover comprising a neck and a body portion for concealing the connecting means and the adjacent portion of the sweeping unit, of means carried by the neck in engagement with the connecting means and cooperating therewith for removably maintaining the cover in concealing position.

10. In a broom or article of analogous nature, the combination with a handle, a broom head unit comprising a clamp and a quantity of sweeping elements securely bound thereby, and clampgripping means including a portion extending interiorly of the unit for detachably securing the handle to the unit, of means forming part of the securing means separate from the portion thereof extending interiorly of the unit and cooperating with the clamp for preventing angular movement of the securing means in the direction of the length of the clamp.

11. In a broom or article of analogous nature, the combination with a handle, a broom head unit comprising a quantity of sweeping elements and a clamp securely binding the elements together,

said clamp being provided on its opposite sides with openings, and means for gripping the sides of the clamp to detachably secure an end of the handle to the broom head unit in such position that said handle end is exterior to the bound sweeping elements, of means forming part of the securing means and cooperating with the openings for preventing angular movement of the securing means in the direction of the length of the clamp.

l2. A head for a broom or article of analogous nature having, in combination, a base member holding a quantity of sweeping elements and provided with ends, a side wall, and lugs, a binding member engaging the sweeping elements and provided with ends, a side wall, and lug-receiving slots, the lugs extending through the slots and being bent into engagement with the side wall of the binding member to hold it pressed against the sweeping elements so that they are clamped between the two members, and means for applying increased localized pressure from within the clamped elements outwardly in the direction of the walls of the base and binding members.

ALFRED L. LODGE. 

